Re: Gun Boats - like `em or h8 `em?

Ok gents, here is a list of my current vintage shoes. I started working in 2008, and decided that I would educate myself about shoes, as I require them for work, and to accommodate my orthotics. I quickly learned about goodyear welts, and lately the solid US/Canada/UK brands.

I consider the following as vintage:

1. No longer made by the manufacturer (e.g. Made in USA Florsheims);2. Manufacturer has bit the dust.

Enjoy!

a. Florsheim 77127 - made in Canada. One of my favourites. A rare pair made in Canada. Beautiful longwing tip with a cigar shell patina developing. Bought used, but in mint condition. The soles and interior showed very little wear. Especially love these with dark jeans;

b. B Mason Executive Imperial - made in USA. My favourite pair by far. Another classic LWT that has different shades of brown. The only problem is that they were waxed heavily at some point, so has an almost plastic look to it. Great with jeans or a suit. Wish they still made these in US;

c. Florsheim 30353 - made in USA. Likely one of the last pairs made in USA, and the the beginning of the decline of Florsheim. A solid burgundy LWT, but used corrected leather. Rather stiff, and the sole is definitely not as solid as the Budapesters;

d. Nettleon - (likely made in 1970s) made in USA. Found these beauties on Ebay for $50. Walnut in colour, the leather has remained intact and suitable with jeans and khakis. I enjoy wearing these in the summer;

e. ET Breather Wright (with the arc) - made in USA. Snagged these for $35 on Ebay. I had read about this brand, and the arc piece is quite unique. There is a metatarsal pad (right between the big toe and second toe area), which takes some getting used to, but quite comfortable;

f. Sanitized for Eaton - made in Canada. Eatons was a high end department store, equivalent to Saks or Nordstrom. Not the most stylish, but bought these NOS. Likely made by Dacks, Hartt, Browns or another one of the Canadian manufacturers. Comfortable, and goes great with a suit;

g. Florsheim 76019 - made in USA. La piece de resistance. One of the favourites on this thread. Beautiful, classic, and made to last. What more can be said about these stompers?

h. Hawkins - made in UK. Apparently came out of the same factory as Doc Martens. The build, sole and feel is exactly the same. I've had these shoes since high school (20+ years). The soles have maintained their original structure, and the body and interior is meticulous. A true work of art and demonstration that a well made shoe can really last for decades;

i. Florsheim 92604 - made in USA. Again, another favourite shoe on this thread. Bought these pretty banged/used up. They were previously resoled. I sent them off for a full recraft and got the Joh Rendenbach soles. I also love stomping around in these. They make quite a statement whether I'm in a suit, or simply casual wear in office.

Hope everyone has enjoyed. I'm still adding to my collection. Would love to find v cleats at some point.

Re: Gun Boats - like `em or h8 `em?

suitforcourt wrote:

Ok gents, here is a list of my current vintage shoes. I started working in 2008, and decided that I would educate myself about shoes, as I require them for work, and to accommodate my orthotics. I quickly learned about goodyear welts, and lately the solid US/Canada/UK brands.

I consider the following as vintage:

1. No longer made by the manufacturer (e.g. Made in USA Florsheims);2. Manufacturer has bit the dust.

Enjoy!

a. Florsheim 77127 - made in Canada. One of my favourites. A rare pair made in Canada. Beautiful longwing tip with a cigar shell patina developing. Bought used, but in mint condition. The soles and interior showed very little wear. Especially love these with dark jeans;

b. B Mason Executive Imperial - made in USA. My favourite pair by far. Another classic LWT that has different shades of brown. The only problem is that they were waxed heavily at some point, so has an almost plastic look to it. Great with jeans or a suit. Wish they still made these in US;

c. Florsheim 30353 - made in USA. Likely one of the last pairs made in USA, and the the beginning of the decline of Florsheim. A solid burgundy LWT, but used corrected leather. Rather stiff, and the sole is definitely not as solid as the Budapesters;

d. Nettleon - (likely made in 1970s) made in USA. Found these beauties on Ebay for $50. Walnut in colour, the leather has remained intact and suitable with jeans and khakis. I enjoy wearing these in the summer;

e. ET Breather Wright (with the arc) - made in USA. Snagged these for $35 on Ebay. I had read about this brand, and the arc piece is quite unique. There is a metatarsal pad (right between the big toe and second toe area), which takes some getting used to, but quite comfortable;

f. Sanitized for Eaton - made in Canada. Eatons was a high end department store, equivalent to Saks or Nordstrom. Not the most stylish, but bought these NOS. Likely made by Dacks, Hartt, Browns or another one of the Canadian manufacturers. Comfortable, and goes great with a suit;

g. Florsheim 76019 - made in USA. La piece de resistance. One of the favourites on this thread. Beautiful, classic, and made to last. What more can be said about these stompers?

h. Hawkins - made in UK. Apparently came out of the same factory as Doc Martens. The build, sole and feel is exactly the same. I've had these shoes since high school (20+ years). The soles have maintained their original structure, and the body and interior is meticulous. A true work of art and demonstration that a well made shoe can really last for decades;

i. Florsheim 92604 - made in USA. Again, another favourite shoe on this thread. Bought these pretty banged/used up. They were previously resoled. I sent them off for a full recraft and got the Joh Rendenbach soles. I also love stomping around in these. They make quite a statement whether I'm in a suit, or simply casual wear in office.

Hope everyone has enjoyed. I'm still adding to my collection. Would love to find v cleats at some point.

Re: Gun Boats - like `em or h8 `em?

suitforcourt wrote:

Simply amazing! I love the black and burgundy wingtips the best. You're very lucky to have those, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Nothing like having good solid shoes on your feet that have plenty of character and have the classic look.

Have you always had good shoes, or is your interest in footwear a more recent thing?

Re: Gun Boats - like `em or h8 `em?

The_Shooman wrote:

suitforcourt wrote:

Simply amazing! I love the black and burgundy wingtips the best. You're very lucky to have those, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Nothing like having good solid shoes on your feet that have plenty of character and have the classic look.

Have you always had good shoes, or is your interest in footwear a more recent thing?

I started working in 2008, so needed decent dress shoes. Plus I wear orthotics. So I started researching and learned about Goodyear welt shoes. Then I developed an obsession for the vintage era because of the craftsmanship and materials used.

I would love to add Hanover, Johnston Murphy and Bostonian to the collection. Some v cleats and shell cordovan would really make my day.

Re: Gun Boats - like `em or h8 `em?

suitforcourt wrote:

The_Shooman wrote:

suitforcourt wrote:

Simply amazing! I love the black and burgundy wingtips the best. You're very lucky to have those, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Nothing like having good solid shoes on your feet that have plenty of character and have the classic look.

Have you always had good shoes, or is your interest in footwear a more recent thing?

I started working in 2008, so needed decent dress shoes. Plus I wear orthotics. So I started researching and learned about Goodyear welt shoes. Then I developed an obsession for the vintage era because of the craftsmanship and materials used.

I would love to add Hanover, Johnston Murphy and Bostonian to the collection. Some v cleats and shell cordovan would really make my day.

What about you?

I was very interested in goodyear welted dress shoes since l was a very little boy, and l started buying dress shoes as soon as my feet stopped growing. From about the age of 5 l had big ambitions to own all the good ones. The love of great footwear has been with me for many decades.